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Habana: Time for introspection

Durban - Springbok wing Bryan Habana says that there will be a lot of soul searching following Saturday’s shock loss to Argentina in Durban.

Habana did find himself on the score sheet with a second-half try, but by that stage the damage had been done and the Boks were staring down the barrel of one of their most unexpected defeats ever.

It is the first time that the Pumas have beaten the Boks, and Habana said after the match that the players would have to answer some serious questions of themselves after what was a poor performance.

“This probably goes as low as I’ve ever experienced in my career. It’s unbelievably disappointing as an individual and a South African,” Habana said.

“After the last two weeks there was probably quite a bit of excitement within this group and I think after tonight (Saturday) a lot of introspection is going to have to be done on an individual basis.”

Habana recalled that captain Jean de Villiers and veteran Schalk Burger had asked for a strong reaction from the men on the field when things weren’t going well, but that there was nothing forthcoming from the players.

“You can’t have guys like Schalk and Jean asking us out on the field for a response and nothing comes from it - and that’s from player 1 to 23,” said Habana.

“We need to figure out why that is. Is it about individuals or is it a collective thing? Me personally, I feel like it’s about the individual ... but I don’t think anyone has the answer at the moment.”

The Boks will take on Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday. Kick-off is at 21:40 (SA time). 

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